Monthly Archives: November 2017

Permo, the debut album from Glasgow five piece band Spinning Coin is an album of contrasts as dreamy indie pop songs alternate with spikier more punk like offerings. It’s an approach that could prove divisive but actually works well here.

Opening track ‘Raining on Hope Street’ appeared as a single back in February. At the time it was described here as an early contender for single of the year and for me, it’s still right up there. Melodic and gentle with a reassuring message, it’s followed by ‘Tin,’ an altogether edgier offering which sets the pattern for the rest of the album.

The twin pronged attack is down to the respective styles of the bands two songwriters, Jack Mellin and Sean Armstrong. Mellin delivers songs that owe more to Seattle than Bellshill whilst Armstrong channels the brighter elements of classic Scottish Indie. Along with Rachel Taylor they also rotate vocal duties. Some of the vocal interplay between Taylor and Mellin in particular carries echoes of the Vaselines at their best.

It would be all too easy to seperate Mellin as the political one from Armstrong as the more personal one but the band manages to blend both these elements in to one coherently positive message. If only our politicians could remember that the real focus of their profession should not be on economics or systems of Government or divisive point scoring but on providing a sense of contentment and acceptance for all. Add that simple message to what are some great tunes and it makes Permo an accomplished debut album. There’s much more to come from Spinning Coin, that’s for sure.